Don’t Be a Kept Man

Chapter 30: A Loss for Certain

Humans will always make bigger mistakes to cover up their previous mistakes. Each wrong step leads to multiple wrong steps. Of course, this was about Chen Lian Dong. After he whispered into Huo Yuan Guang’s ear, it made the latter furrow his eyebrows with whatever he said.

Huo Yuan Guang slowly lifted up his head, deep in thought. After a while he said, 

“This plan is too dangerous. There’s no real reason to do it.”

“You said it yourself. To be human, you must be ruthless. And Huo Ming Chen is a heartless man himself. If Huo Ming Cheng does everything in his power to push him up, all those things we suffered for, all the things we worked so hard for, wouldn’t it all just become his?”

What Chen Lian Dong was saying was what Huo Yuan Guang was the most worried about. No matter how many hidden cards he could have, when he inherits the company, his position is not as justifiable and right as Huo Ming Chen’s would be.

Huo Yuan Guang’s eyes were closed as he rubbed at his eyebrows, and after a while it felt like he had made a decision on something as he suddenly opened his eyes, a brilliance flashing by them. He furrowed his eyebrows, and slowly looked at Chen Lian Dong and asked, 

“Who do you think is suitable for this?”

This time around Chen Lian Dong was not as stupid. Last time he was suddenly given the task to eliminate Zhang-Shu and for no reason jumped into Huo Ming Chen’s trap. This time around, he would not say anything that would get him involved. He only wanted to use Huo Yuan Guang instead.

“Chairman, that would depend on your network. Those that I know are all lowly hooligans, dependable maybe, or not really, and could instead easily ruin things……”

Listening to him, Huo Yuan Guang did not agree nor disagree, only saying, 

“This kind of plan is different and unusual. I have to think it over. Go back first.”

Huo Ming Chen was different from Zhang-Shu. If anything happened to him, not only would Huo Ming Cheng investigate, but his father would too. Investigate until the perpetrator was found. If the police join in, there would be no hiding within the city, especially with the attention of the media. This was not the result desired by Huo Yuan Guang.

Perhaps, the plan could be changed to something more suitable. All he really needed to do was to think of something that would hinder Huo Ming Chen and make him unable to show up at the board meeting. When he completely obtains the position of the chairman, no matter when Huo Ming Chen appears, it would have already been too late.

That night, everyone had their own ongoing schemes and plans. They knew, no matter if they win or lose, whatever the outcome would be, it is all coming to an end.

But compared to the others, Huo Ming Chen’s heart was still holding a heavy stone. He has never liked to be indecisive, and when he sets his eyes on something, he will go down that path until the end, no matter what the cost would be, no matter how much he would need to suffer. But he doesn’t know what Lu Qi is thinking in his heart.

He wants to ask, but he doesn’t want to hear an answer that is different from his own.

He hoped that the entirety of what they have was not just a one-sided feeling on his part.

Thinking up to this point, Huo Ming Chen suddenly got out of bed, and emotionlessly grabbed a coat that was hanging at the front of the bed. This was left from when Lu Qi still had his freshman military training. He said that he would come pick it up, but at the end of the day, it never happened.

His eyes felt like they were shooting lasers at his coat, as if that would let him see Lu Qi. He said meanly, 

“Why am I thinking about it so much, after all you must be willing whether you are willing or not.”

After he said that out loud, his heart felt a bit better. He hugged the coat and slipped under the bed sheets. Then sounded out a “hmph”, full of impatient muttering,

“Fuck, why do I feel like I’m obsessed.”

That feeling of using an object to remember and feel a person was quite pitiful; Lu Qi was not even dead. Huo Ming Chen rolled around in his bed, and then after a while, threw the coat away. He planned to go find the actual person tomorrow, and whether it will succeed or not, let’s just talk first.

The night was long and lonely as Lu Qi was filled with the same sentiments. He sat on the balcony, soaking up the breeze. His hand held a box of cigarettes that he had just bought and the packaging hasn’t even been ripped open yet. His eyes dark and contemplating, making him harder to read than the night sky.

Lu Qi has a secret that he has not told anyone about — he was actually very envious of Huo Ming Chen.

Envious of his recklessness, envious of his impulsiveness that didn’t need to care about anything else or anyone, and envious of how clear his line was between love and hate. How he dared to do anything, and how he doesn’t need to calculate his every action for the greatest benefit.

Lu Qi was more over analytical, more sensitive and had more schemes than the holes in a sieve, thinking over every little detail and action. Huo Ming Chen only had one heart, going down his own path of his beliefs without wavering, paving his own path even if there was a wall in his way.

In his previous life he was most envious of Huo Ming Chen’s family status. In this life however he was more envious of his person. Even if Lu Qi understood, he knew he himself would never be able to live like he did.

The television in the room was still playing and the drama, The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber, seemed to be nearing its end. Lu Qi sat for a little bit longer before heading back inside, closing the door to the balcony behind him as he did, making it just in time to see the last scene.

“But you cannot forget, you still owe me one thing that you didn’t do yet.”

The little demon girl Zhao Min and that idiot main lead Zhang Wu Ji in the end came together. She tied up her hair, in her plain dress with a pretty face and thin eyebrows,which compared to before, she seemed less sharp, antagonistic, and more gentle, feminine.

Zhang Wu Ji replied, 

“Right, you asked me at the very beginning for three things. The first, you wanted to see the Dragon Saber Sword, which you did. The second was in Bozhou City where you did not allow me to marry Zhi Rou, and I didn’t marry her in the end. Now then for the third thing……”

Zhao Min suddenly smiled, playing with her hair, and jutted out her chin, arrogantly and bossily saying,

“I want you to draw my eyebrows for a lifetime!”1

A life time, the idiotic Zhang Wu Ji smiled brightly, eyes full of pampering love, which looked quite familiar, as it has shown up before on Lu Qi’s face.

There were no classes on the second day, and so Lu Qi slept all the way until the afternoon. He prepared his laptop, planning to continue to work at the company until his body gave up. 

Who could have expected that once he went downstairs, he would see a very familiar looking car parked right in front of the entrance of the condo complex. His footsteps paused, and then he took a few steps back to look carefully at the license plate. Then he very slowly used his fingers to smooth back his bangs, looking a little troubled for once.

In the end Lu Qi went towards the car, and lightly knocked on the window. There was no response. He opened the car door to take a look inside and found a Huo Ming Chen that had fallen asleep at the wheel.

As if he was woken up by the door opening, Huo Ming Chen looked up sensitively. His under eyes were dark with a face that looked very tired, as if he didn’t sleep for the past couple of days. Lu Qi was shocked by his face, and asked contemplatively,

“What happened to you?”

Huo Ming Chen rubbed his eyes, and seeing it was Lu Qi, relaxed his stiff body. And then for some reason, became more nervous. In the end he fell back on the seat and used the back of his hands to cover his eyes. He tiredly made up a not-really-an-excuse excuse, 

“I couldn’t sleep because it wasn’t my bed.”

Lu Qi did not believe it for one second. He lowered his head to take a look at his watch, asking, 

“When did you arrive? Have you eaten lunch yet?”

Hearing this, Huo Ming Chen pouted and honestly shook his head, 

“4am this morning, no.”

Mentally ill.

Right now Huo Ming Chen was like an obnoxious child in Lu Qi’s eyes. The two of them locked eyes silently for a few seconds and Lu Qi was the first to back down. He accepted his fate as he threw his laptop bag in the back seat, feeling that raising a child would not be as taxing as this, 

“Whatever you want to talk about, it can wait. Let’s go have a meal first.”

Huo Ming Chen glanced sideways at him and didn’t move. His thumbs kept fidgeting under the wheel, exposing his troubled heart. Lu Qi thought that he was just in a temper and so went around to the driver’s side and dragged the other out of the car, feeling weirdly that Huo Ming Chen seemed a bit down today.

Lu Qi couldn’t help but reach out and test the temperature on his forehead, asking in a low voice, 

“Are you sick? Or did you get scolded by your brother?”

Huo Ming Chen jokingly raised his eyebrows, finally looking a bit more normal, and tilted his head, chuckling, 

“Which one do you think it is?”

Seeing that he was fine, Lu Qi flicked him on the forehead,

 “I think you are so bloated with nothing to do.”

Nearby, there was a 24-hour dim sum shop and the best selling dish was the shumai. Everyday, before the sun even rose up, there were already customers in a long line, lining up to buy it, and it would even extend all the way until lunch time. Hot steam dissipated everywhere, with layers of the smell of flour and a hint of spiciness from black pepper, calling to the stomachs of everyone lining up.

Lu Qi and Huo Ming Chen grabbed a table, and the two of them ordered a couple baskets of the signature shumai dish and har gou2, adding in two glasses of soy milk. Sitting all around them were seniors, making them feel a little like they were living in their old age.

Huo Ming Chen thought about something, and chuckled, asking in a light tone, 

“Ack, what are you going to do when you are older?”

Lu Qi lifted his dark eyes to look at him, with the afternoon sun shining some warmth into them. He was lean and chewing on a few bites made him look like a hamster with its chubby cheeks. He swallowed the food inside his mouth and replied after thinking a bit, 

“Not too sure. However square dancing3 is definitely not my thing.”

Huo Ming Chen almost laughed out loud,

“No! Try it, square dancing is super hip.”

Lu Qi’s face looked like it was just enlightened, and he used his phone as a mirror to take a look at his handsome face. He nodded his head and concluded, 

“That’s true. Even when I’m old, I’ll still be handsome. If I square dance, there would be no end to the elderly ladies chasing after me.”

Huo Ming Chen snorted coldly, mashing the har gou in the basket with his chopsticks until it was unrecognizable. He coldly said, 

“You only think about attracting other people all day. When I’m old, I’m not going to be that bad looking, ok? At that time, we will see if your popularity is high or if mine would be higher.”

By saying these words, it was as if it was inevitable that Lu Qi would still have a place in his life even when Huo Ming Chen became old.

Hearing this, Lu Qi thought about something but then felt that it was not the right timing, and decided to just continue eating. He asked when he had a breath between bites, 

“What was the thing you had to do today?”

Following his question, Huo Ming Chen suddenly lost the courage he built up last night. His heart pounded wildly, as if it could jump out of his throat. In the end, he was not bold enough to say it and only pushed a basket towards Lu Qi, 

“Eat first. We’ll talk when you’re full.”

Lu Qi said, “But I’m already full.”

Huo Ming Chen: “……”

Lu Qi’s face was full of suspicion and he leaned back on his chair, looking up and down at Huo Ming Chen, 

“You…… did you do something that I need to forgive you for?”

Huo Ming Chen: “……” 

What could he do to make Lu Qi need to forgive him? It’s not like he gave Lu Qi a green hat.

Seeing that he was not responding, Lu Qi paused for a moment, a pause so miniscule that no one could notice, and tentatively raised his eyebrows, asking, 

“……Did your family go bankrupt?” 

Didn’t hear any news reporting that though.

Huo Ming Chen threw his chopsticks on the table, angrily saying, 

“Your family’s bankrupt.”

Lu Qi shrugged his shoulders, 

“Too bad, my family has no fortune to go bankrupt.”

Hearing this, Huo Ming Chen recalled something and suddenly switched his train of thought. He was not angry anymore and held his chin up with a hand, asking in interest, 

“Ack, what are you going to do if I go bankrupt?”

Lu Qi: “I will pity you.”

Huo Ming Chen became so angry that he wanted to slam the table, but somehow he held it in. Silently he gritted his teeth and came closer to Lu Qi to probe further, 

“Pity and then? There’s nothing else??”

Lu Qi thought about it and then glanced downwards at his body. He stifled the laughter that was coming up to his mouth and whispered slowly into Huo Ming Chen’s ear, 

“I could……”

“Could what?” Huo Ming Chen was suddenly a bit nervous.

“Could let you sleep with me one time for free.”

Then a bright laughter rang beside his ear, and Huo Ming Chen realized that he had just been played. He lifted his eyes to look over and in the shadow of the sun, Lu Qi was laughing openly, so good looking that it made it hard for people to move their eyes away.

There were too many people around, so it was not a good time to beat this guy up. Huo Ming Chen could only lightly kick him under the table and emotionlessly dragged Lu Qi closer by his collar and gritted his teeth to say, 

“What’s this about only once? For the rest of your life, I will sleep with you for free!”

This seemed to strike an arrow into the weakness in Lu Qi’s heart. Huo Ming Chen could only hear him sigh, and like a glass of milk that had been spilled, he could only accept his fate, saying, 

“Up to you then. After all I can’t get anything out of your body for the rest of this life time anyway.”

Notes:
*1 drawing eyebrows: historically, it was considered a very intimate act, usually for a husband to draw a wife’s eyebrow, it shows that the husband cares for the wife/they are loveydovey/they are in a good relationship. In this case, it’s basically asking for marriage.

*2 Shumai and Har Gou are dim sum commonly dished out in baskets:

*3 Square dancing as in this video (which is in english describing square dancing very briefly): Why is Chinese Square Dancing Everywhere? or you can watch this terrible 240p quality video that I somehow found when trying to find videos, of Rowan Atkinson, acting as Mr. Bean, trying it out (it’s from an entertainment news source so it’s actually mostly still pictures): “憨豆先生”大跳广场舞 经典搞怪表情再现. Both links are to youtube. If you want better quality, there’s some on other video sites if you search the chinese title in the second link. There’s also a lot of other videos if you search “广场舞” which have some pretty amazing dance choreography. Square dancing is usually referenced as an activity, which can be competitive, for older females, but it’s for all ages.

This is not in reference to the western style square dance. The “square dancing” is taken literally as the dance happens in a city square/plaza vs the actual type of western square dance.

TL Tidbit:

Sneaky warning that Plum doesn’t want to me to put  as Plum suffered terribly when it happened:

Cliffhanger next chapter (which actually can also be a warning for the chapter after the next one too…) 

Also Plum: Author?! QAQ Did you forget you said Huo Ming Chen had given back his jacket through the car window in chp 2 or 3?!